


Discovery at School

by ColdeLinke



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Parent!lock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1227244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdeLinke/pseuds/ColdeLinke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur Watson, 5-year-old, starts elementary school today.<br/>There, he learns something that he'd never have thought before. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't you have a Sherlock? I thought everyone had a Sherlock"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Discovery at School

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for mistakes, it is not beta-read and I am French. 
> 
> Inspired by this post on tumblr: http://toboldly-ship.tumblr.com/post/76869126375/meoplelikepeople-baby-watson-growing-up

Arthur Watson, 5-year-old, starts elementary school today. He's so excited he's bouncing up and down, despite Sherlock's warning that it's as boring as it gets. 

"Come on Daddy!" he tugs at his father's arm. "Come oooon!"

John laughs and hurries to put his shoes on. "Alright Artie, let's go."

"Yayyy!" Arthur rushes down the stairs and into the street. 

"Arthur, wait up!" John scolds as he closes the door behind him.

"Sorry Daddy!" he pouts as he stands still on the crowded pavement. John takes his son's hand in his and together they walk toward the school. Arthur spends the whole time telling his dad that he's going to make lots of friends and he's going to be very nice to his teacher, and he goes on and on about what he'll do and how it will change everything. John listens to him carefully with a smile on his face, until it fades as Arthur asks him where Sherlock is. 

"I thought he was supposed to come with us?" he asks with a small voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry Artie, he got a call from Greg, he couldn't refuse."

"It's okay, I just wish he'd said goodbye that's all," Arthur says with a tight smile. John squeezes his hand and whispers, as if it's a secret, "but he did, he came to wish you luck while you were still asleep."

"He did?" Arthur is beaming at John, and the latter can't help but chuckle and ruffle his son's hair. 

"Yeah, he did." 

When Arthur steps into the school, his eyes wander on the building, the teachers and the children with excitment. John leads him to his new teacher and Arthur makes sure he listens carefully to what she says. He wants to do good, to please his father. After some precision, she says goodbye to John and approaches another parent and her child. John turns to Arthur and crouches in order to be looking straight into his son's blue eyes. 

"I'll be going now, Art. Will you be okay?" His father asks, concern slipping through his voice. The black-haired boy nods with conviction, making the adult chuckle. "I'll see you at the end of the day, be good," he kisses his son on the forehead and moves to stand back up but his son's arms wrap around his neck, preventing his action. Arthur hugs him close and tight, and John squeezes just as much, pats his back in reassurance. 

"It'll be good," he whispers close to Arthur's ear. "You'll make friends and tell us all about it tonight, yeah?" he nods against his father's chest. After several seconds, Arthur lets go with a small smile. 

He watches as his father leaves the school ground, turning back to glance at his son. He waves, and turns around the corner, where Arthur can no longer see him. He sighs and looks around, biting his lower lip in concern. But a boy his age steps towards him with a grin and asks if he wants to play. Arthur agrees with a grin of his own. 

 

* 

 

Arthur decides he likes Ms Rosenbach after she doesn't dismiss his questions as being stupid but instead answers with a smile. After the morning break, they all sit in circle in the classroom and Ms Rosenbach asks them to talk about their family. That's how Arthur learns that Tommy has a mom, a dad, and a big sister; Alyce has two moms and a cat named Joe; Mason has a mom, a dad and three siblings; Georgia has a mom and a little brother. When it's his turn, he's unusually shy, because he's not sure he understands what he's supposed to  
say. 

So he whispers, "I have a dad, a dog and a Sherlock."

And Ms Rosenbach asks "What's a Sherlock?" with a fond smile and his cheeks go red.

"It's like a Daddy but not really," is the only thing he manages to say. "Don't you have a Sherlock? I thought everyone had a Sherlock," he murmurs, dropping his gaze to his lap. 

"I don't think any of us do have a Sherlock except you, but that's a good thing isn't it Arthur? No one has the same family," she explains and everyone nods as if they already knew that. 

Maybe they do, Arthur thinks. 

 

* 

 

He liked school and had fun that day, but still, he is happy when he sees his dad waiting for him at the gates. He jumps on him and hugs him and tells him he missed him, and if he cries a little bit, well, his dad doesn't say anything. 

He recounts his day as they walk home, "So Mason and I asked Alyce if she wanted to play with us and she said yes so we played a game called Angels and Demons, Tommy told us what it was and it sounded really good so we played that! And when we got back to the classroom Ms Rosenbach, I mean, Laura, asked us about our family, so I said I had you and Gladstone and Sherlock, and no one understood what was a Sherlock, how come no other kid has a Sherlock Daddy? I thought everyone had a Sherlock!" 

"Well," John says, a bit at a loss as to what to say. "Sherlock is a special snowflake, not everyone knows him like we do, it's because we both like him very much, and he likes us too." 

Arthur seems satisfied with the answer and continues on telling his father about his day. 

When they arrive at Baker Street, Arthur climbs up the stairs two steps at a time, and opens the door with a bang. When he sees Sherlock lying on the sofa, he sits on his stomach, indian position. He waits until Sherlock comes back to reality before he says hello. 

"Afternoon Arthur, how did your day go?" Sherlock doesn't even blink when he sees where Arthur is, simply smirks at him. 

"I think my friends are sad because they don't have a Sherlock like I do," he says and Sherlock scoffs and asks, "And why would they be sad about that?"

From the kitchen, John makes a noise but Arthur ignores him.

"Daddy says you're a special snowflake," Sherlock turns his gaze to John who smiles, blushing, "and I like you really a lot."

"It's I really like you," Sherlock corrects absently. 

"I want to tell you something," he whispers and Sherlock shakes his head and nods to confirm that he's listening. "I think you're the most nice and funny person I know, well except for Daddy, and I am glad that you're my second dad."

Sherlock chokes a bit when he hears the last word, and glances at John to see how he reacted. However John is no longer in the room, so Sherlock swallows and says "Well - I - hm - I am glad that - you hm - consider me - your dad," and Arthur laughs and lies on top of Sherlock, his small hands squeezing Sherlock's white shirt. 

 

* 

 

That night, when Arthur is soundly asleep in his bed, Sherlock joins John in his, and tells him what Arthur said to him. Sherlock expects John to be sad or mad, but instead he smiles fondly at him and caresses his cheek. 

"I love you," he says simply and ignores the way Sherlock's cheeks and neck redden. 

In the middle of the night, when John's half-asleep, he hears Sherlock whispers the same words into his skin. 


End file.
